


be wise as thou art cruel

by mnemosyne_musings



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, cameo only for eleven, final chapter only is nsfw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:35:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22911832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mnemosyne_musings/pseuds/mnemosyne_musings
Summary: A spaceship is crashing and River has summoned her husband. Unfortunately he's just a bit young and suspicious...
Relationships: Eleventh Doctor/River Song, Tenth Doctor/River Song, The Doctor/River Song
Comments: 21
Kudos: 136





	1. Chapter 1

\---

“We need to shut it down Doctor,” River warns, her eyes fixed on the oxygen warning lights that are flickering dangerously in the dull red glow of the engine room, “We’re running out of time.”

“Hang on,” he mumbles as he frantically untangles the wires at his feet, “Just gimme ten seconds… in fact… half a minute would be better… I mean, although if we’re really putting in requests then a good five minutes would be ideal but…”

Rolling her eyes at him in frustration, River shoots another worried glance at the oxygen monitor. “Sweetie, any time now would be great…”

“Professor Song, this is delicate work,” he huffs irritably, glaring down at the mass of wires in his hands, “If I don’t manage to reroute the power from the back-up generators at the same time as shutting down the secondary flight deck _and_ making sure that the docking bay stays open then…”

“Oh for goodness sake,” River mutters and reaches into her utility belt for a pair of pliers. She quickly strides over to the main console and shoves the Doctor un-ceremoniously out the way. She picks up the mass of wires before decisively cutting through several of them.

“What are you doing?!” the Doctor squawks in outrage as she calmly connects some of the loose wires to one of the ports on the console.

“Saving our lives,” River deadpans, letting out a small sigh of relief as the dial on the oxygen monitor swings back round into the safe range and the alarm stops.

“But…but what did you…” he splutters as he peers over her shoulder.

“Use your words sweetie,” she smirks at the look of disbelief that was warring with a look of admiration on his face. He runs a hand through his spiky hair as his eyes scan over the console, looking at her handiwork. She gives a small sigh; she’d been expecting a much later version of her husband to turn up. She’d forgotten just how prickly this younger version could be at times even if he does look rather delectably dishevelled from their mad dash through this spaceship. He’s lost the overcoat and has a smudge of grease across his cheek that she wasn’t going to tell him about just yet.

He frowns suddenly as he realises where she’s plugged some of the wires. “Hang on…what is that…” he glances at her and then back to the console, “Oh no no no…that’s…that’s the ventilation system for the lower cabin deck.”

“Yes it is but…”

“No, no…we can’t _do_ that…” he snaps, sounding very panicked all of a sudden.

River quirks an eyebrow at him as he starts to frantically tug at the wires. “Doctor stop that, you’ll drop the oxygen levels in here again.” 

Whirling back to face her, the Doctor jabs a finger in her direction. “No! There are people down in those cabins. There are _children_ down there! We _cannot_ turn off that ventilation system.”

Putting her hands on her hips, River tilted her head at him and sighed. “Sweetie, if you would just…”

“No!” he cuts her off angrily, his voice rising as he crowds her personal space, “Do not _sweetie_ me! This is not what I do! I do not abandon people. I do not simply leave them to their fate and I most certainly do not cut off the oxygen supply to _children_ so that I can save myself.”

“Are you quite finished Doctor?” she glares at him now, watching as he stares coldly down at her, all the previous warmth from his gaze now evaporated leaving only mistrust and anger.

“No,” he spits out, more softly now but his voice still cuts through her like a knife, “If that’s who you think I am… If that is who you think I want to be then let me tell you this Professor Song. You do not know me. You do _not_ know me at all.”

River inhales sharply at that and then she steels herself and steps forward further in towards him. “No Doctor,” she retorts icily, glaring back up at him, “That is not who I think you are. Or who I am. Which is why I made sure that the ventilation system to that level was secure before I rerouted the generators.”

“Oh,” he stares at her for a moment before glancing quickly down at the console to confirm wht she says.

“Yes. Oh,” River parrots back at him as the realisation dawns on his face, “I think, Doctor, that _you_ are the one who does not know me at all,” she adds, unable to keep the note of bitterness out of her voice. For a moment he just stares at her and for a fraction of a second she thinks he’s about to kiss her. There’s a look on his face that she recognises as all too familiar from her Doctor but then, before she can blink, it is gone.

She shakes her head and turns back to the console, fiddling unnecessarily with some of the controls. She can feel his gaze on her and to her horror she suddenly feels tears welling up. Damn him. Damn him and damn their back to front marriage. Quickly turning further away from him, she inputs some instructions into the console and then heads towards the door, suddenly feeling the need to put as much distance between her and the Doctor as possible.

“River, where are you…”

“I’m going to check on those ventilation systems,” she cuts him off shortly as she opens the door hatch a little vigorously and heads out into the corridor, leaving him to stare after her.

\--

Three hours later, she’s down in the docking bay of the ship. With the last-ditch repairs, the Doctor was able to safely land the ship at a nearby spaceport and all the passengers are now safely disembarked.

River gives a sigh of relief. Now she can escape this patched up spaceship, find a shower and some clean clothes and then track down a version of her husband who’s old enough to know her and, more importantly, old enough to deal with his very cross and frustrated wife.

She’s just putting in coordinates to her vortex manipulator and intending to make a quick getaway when the Doctor appears.

He stuffs his hands in his pockets and lopes over to her, stopping in front of her and shuffling his feet awkwardly.

“So, umm, I wanted to…”

“Well I should be getting out of…”

They both speak at the same time before pausing and laughing awkwardly, staring at each other.

“I’m sorry for earlier,” he says softly after a moment, looking intently at her.

“It’s fine Doctor,” she brushes off his apology with a curt shrug, dropping her gaze from his and looking down at her manipulator, “Don’t worry about it.”

He reaches out and catches her wrist gently, stopping her from activating the device. “It’s not fine,” he insists earnestly, “I shouldn’t have said that. I know that’s not who you are.”

Sighing, she tries to hold on to her irritation as she looks back up at his contrite expression. “You don’t know me really at all though Doctor. It’s my fault. I keep expecting you to when you don’t.”

He pauses for a moment, his eyes searching hers for something before a grin starts to spread over his face and he leans further in towards her. “You’re wrong Professor,” he murmurs in a low voice, the one that always sends a thrill up her spine, “I think I know you better than you think.” He gazes down at her for another long moment and for the second time that day River thinks he’s about to kiss her.

He pulls away though but grabs her hand as he does so, lacing her fingers through with his. “Alrighty! Let’s get out of here!” he exclaims, pulling her along with him as he heads back towards the Tardis. “Professor Song, I am taking you for pancakes.”

Following behind him, River shakes her head fondly. Pancakes with her almost-husband? Well that was a better outcome than she’d hoped for an hour ago. She supposed she could wait just a little bit longer to track down an older version of her husband. Not _too_ much longer though she mused as she raked her gaze over him as he bounded enthusiastically over to the TARDIS.

\---


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided to write a fluffier ending for this installment after all. Oh and then I wrote an alternative smutty end as well, oops, but that's the next chapter. This one is safe-for-work.

Pancakes.

It was supposed to be have been a nice relaxing trip out to have pancakes. And, the Doctor supposed, it had started off that way. Unfortunately, he had managed to pick the one breakfast diner in the entire galaxy that was in fact the headquarters of a smuggling gang. And of course, he had picked the day that one of their unsatisfied clients had ambushed them there to demand payment.

River had not seemed that surprised when the shooting started and had taken it all very much in her stride as if this was something that happened to the two of them all the time. Maybe it did. Anyway, she had very efficiently despatched several of the would-be ambushers with a gun that she had seemingly produced from thin air. He had no idea where on earth she had been keeping that. The jeans she was wearing seemed to be far too tight to hide anything like a gun. Not that he was thinking about River’s jeans or what she may or may not be keeping there… He had then found himself fighting off a blush when realised he was accidentally staring at said part of River who had smirked at him like she knew exactly what he had been thinking about.

He had apologised profusely all the way back to the TARDIS for the inadvertent gun fight they had found themselves in the middle of. River, however, had simply laughed and elbowed him out the way of the console and then had navigated them with disconcerting efficiency to a small ice cream parlour tucked away on a sleepy planet on the outskirts of the Mezoline galaxy.

Which was why he now found himself sitting across from River Song in an old-fashioned parlour booth, sharing an enormous knickerbocker glory.

He watched as she sat back in her seat, sighing contentedly as she put her spoon down.

“I’m not your Doctor, am I?” he asked suddenly causing her to look up at him in surprise.

“You’re always my Doctor,”

“That’s not what you said once,”

“Spoilers sweetie, be careful now,” she replied with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“It’s not this face though is it,” he pressed again as she dropped her eyes to the table to avoid his gaze, “The one who knows you, the one who…” he trailed off as he realised he didn’t quite know how to finish that thought, let alone that sentence.

She sighed heavily as she looked up at him again, an unreadable expression on her face. “No, it isn’t,” she admitted softly as he let out a breath that he hadn’t realised he had been holding.

“You usually know me though,” she added softly, more to herself this time than him, “No matter the face.”

“But you haven’t met…” he stopped himself abruptly at that. No, he wasn’t thinking about their first time. He didn’t think about that. Not when she was here, in front of him. In front of him and alive.

Luckily River seemed happy to let his slip go by and instead just raised an eyebrow at him and smirked. “Haven’t I?!”

“But…” he spluttered as she picked her spoon up again and scraped up some of the fast-melting ice cream, “No you...How… but I’d remember if you and…”

“Would you?!” River grinned wickedly at him as she raised the spoon to her lips and delicately licked the ice cream from it, her grin widening as she saw his eyes flicker down to her mouth and back up again.

Shutting his mouth as he realised he was gaping at her, he suddenly let out a laugh as he leant back against the seat.

“I’d tell you that that was highly irresponsible behaviour, mucking around in my timeline, but I suspect you wouldn’t pay much attention,” he sighed in mock exasperation at her.

Taking another spoonful of ice-cream, River let out a small laugh as well. “You see sweetie. You _do_ know me after all!”

“Which ones?” he suddenly asked.

“Sorry?”

“Which faces?” the Doctor replied, leaning forward on his elbows.

“Oh sweetie, that would be telling,” she winked at him before licking the spoon again.

“Oh, come on,” he whinged, a small pout appearing on his face, “It’s not one of your spoilers. It’s already happened for me apparently.”

Unmoved, River simply grinned at him again before delicately placing the spoon back down on the table.

“The scarf? Or the one with the celery?” he asked, frowning in concentration as River just smiled mysteriously back at him, “Oh god, please tell me it wasn’t the fop,” he suddenly groaned, a look of dismay passing over his face.

“Alas no,” River murmured regretfully, “But I must say I am very intrigued about him. Maybe I’ll track him down at some point,” she added thoughtfully, biting her bottom lip in anticipation as the Doctor in front of her glared back at her in outrage.

“Well, I wouldn’t bother if I were you,” he huffed sulkily, “He’s terribly melodramatic.”

River simply raised an eyebrow pointedly at him.

“What? Me?!” he squeaked, his voice somehow unintentionally coming out an octave higher than he’d intended, “ _I’m_ not melodramatic,” he insisted, clearing his throat deliberately as River grinned knowingly back him.

“Of course, sweetie,” she murmured with a slightly condescending pat on his hand before looking around and gesturing to the waitress for the bill.

Standing up after they had paid, the Doctor followed River out of the ice-cream parlour and down the road to where the TARDIS was parked. Falling into step beside her, he shoved his hands into his pockets. “So, Professor Song, where to next?” he asked casually, sneaking a sideways glance at her.

“Eager to keep me around now are you?” she replied with a grin as he shrugged nonchalantly, “I’ve got places I need to be I’m afraid Doctor,” she added wistfully.

Slowing down as they approached the TARDIS, he turned to face her, leaning back against the door as he did so. “You could come with me for a bit?” he offered, trying to keep his voice neutral. He didn’t want to plead after all.

River turned to face him with a small sigh, one hand reaching out automatically to rest on the wood of the TARDIS. “Not yet sweetie,” she said softly, a note of regret in her voice as she smiled sadly up at him, “It’s not the right time.”

“Oh,” he swallowed thickly, hastily shutting down the pang of disappointment that flared up at her words, “Well, that’s alright. In fact, I should probably be…”

“Don’t be alone Doctor,” she cut in suddenly, her hand coming up to rest automatically on his jacket lapel and smoothing the material down, “I know you. You’re not good by yourself.”

Staring down at her, the Doctor glanced down at her hand that was still fiddling with his jacket and then back up to her. “I get the feeling that’s not the first time you’ve said that to me.”

River sighed and closed her fingers briefly round his lapels before letting go slowly, her hand resting lightly on his chest. As she was about to pull away though, the Doctor suddenly leant down and gently pressed his lips to hers. It was just a simple, chaste brush of the lips and he pulled back after a few moments to look at her.

“Will I see you again soon?” he asked, trying not to sound too eager.

She gave a small laugh at that and patted his chest one final time before withdrawing and stepping back slightly. “Oh, I’m always around Doctor” she replied with a grin as she fished her vortex manipulator out of her pocket and strapped it to her wrist, “Soon, you’ll even learn how to find me!” she added with a wink as she rapidly entered some coordinates. “Til the next time sweetie!” she blew him a kiss and then dematerialised in front of him in a crackle of energy.

For a moment, the Doctor simply leant back against the TARDIS doors and stared at the spot where she’d vanished. Then he smiled, raised one hand and clicked his fingers and then turned to head inside with a spring in his step.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so if you want an alternative smutty end to this chapter then read on! if not, then that's your ending! hope you enjoy!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> umm so here is a smutty alternative ending for this chapter for which I entirely blame sonic and elliot. This is NSFW so if that is not your jam then please do avoid. It starts just before the end of the previous chapter...
> 
> Happy River Song Appreciation Day!

\----

River sighed and closed her fingers briefly round his lapels before letting go slowly, her hand resting lightly on his chest. As she was about to pull away though, the Doctor suddenly leant down and gently pressed his lips to hers. It was just a simple, chaste brush of the lips but it caught her unawares and she pulled back after a moment to look up at him.

“Doctor…”

“Stay with me,” he asked, a note of pleading in his voice this time as he pulled away slightly.

Sighing again, River shook her head slowly as a sad smile crept over her face. “Sweetie, I told you. It isn’t the right time for…”

“No,” he cut in, his voice low and urgent this time as he reached up to gently stroke her cheek with one hand, “I meant, will you stay… with me… tonight?”

“Tonight?” River asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise, “Doctor, are you asking what I think you are?”

“I’m not wrong, am I?” he asked, a faint blush staining his cheeks as she looked up at him incredulously, “About…us? In the future I mean? We are…”

Laughing softly as he gestured awkwardly between them, River shook her head slightly in disbelief, “Spoilers sweetie! You know I can’t tell you that.”

“I know, I know,” he rushed on, “It’s against the rules. Out of order and all that. But, it’s just…”

“It’s just hard sometimes isn’t it,” River continued gently, when he trailed off, her expression softening at the look on his face, “It’s hard being alone.”

The Doctor nodded slowly, letting out a small sigh. “So, will you?” he asked again hopefully, “Stay?”

Closing her eyes briefly, River shook her head slightly. “I can’t believe I’m even contemplating this,” she murmured half to herself as the Doctor grinned slightly at her wavering, “Doctor, I’ve done your first time… as it were. I won’t change that.”

“I give you full permission to make me not remember any of this,” he replied resolutely, nodding firmly.

“Doctor…”

“Anyway, it sounds like you’ve got previous when it comes to conveniently wiping my memory,” he added cheekily as she glared at him.

Letting out a sigh, she stared at him for a long moment. “Alright.”

“Alright?” he repeated, raising his eyebrows hopefully.

“Alright, I’ll stay,” she replied softly, “One condition though!” she announced, shaking a finger at him as he stood up taller and bit his lip to stop himself grinning, “Older you is absolutely _not_ allowed to shout at me for this!”

“Deal, Professor,” he murmured before holding up a hand and snapping his fingers so the TARDIS door opened behind him, “After you,” he added with a grin as she rolled her eyes fondly at him and sauntered into the TARDIS ahead of him.

Ignoring the small voice in his head that was telling him that this was madness, the Doctor quickly shut the door behind him and bounded up the stairs behind River. Quickly typing in some coordinates, he carelessly threw one of the levers and parked them in orbit around a nearby asteroid. Pausing for a moment, he glanced down at the console. What was he doing? Had he really just propositioned this woman who was his…his future whatever? And what did they do now? Did they just fall into bed? Should he make polite conversation first? Crikey, this was a total disaster.

Taking a deep breath, he looked up at River who was watching him carefully from across the console. “Soooo,” he let out the breath, “Would you like a drink?”

“A drink?”

“Yeah, you know, that’s what people do isn’t it?” he said quickly, running one hand awkwardly through his hair while he looked wildly round the console room, “I can make a mean banana daiquiri you know, and I’m sure I’ve got a bottle of fizz from Bollinger that apparently was the best vintage ever and…”

“Sweetie,” River interrupted him gently.

“No, no, I’m sure it’s around here somewhere,” he continued, flinging open a drawer underneath the console suddenly and rifling through it.”

Shaking her head, River moved round towards him. “Doctor,” she said again, placing a hand gently on his elbow so he jerked up suddenly.

“I’m sure it’s just here some…”

“Doctor, it’s ok,” she said softly as he stared up at her, “We don’t have to do anything. You’re still very young. I certainly don’t expect anything. We can just have a drink or do something else… or I can go?”

“No,” he blurted out, standing up quickly as she raised her eyebrows in surprise, “No, please don’t go,” he added more softly.

“You’re doing your nervous rambling act,” she observed, tilting her head at him, “That means you can’t decide what to do.”

“It’s not that,” he shook his head determinedly.

“Doctor, I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret later,” she insisted gently, shaking her head, “I’m the older one here, I’m supposed to be the responsible one and I don’t want you to…”

Whatever she was about to say next though was cut off when he suddenly leant forward and kissed her again. He pulled away after just a few moments and stared earnestly down at her. “I won’t regret it, I promise,” he murmured, before leaning down and kissing her again.

This kiss wasn’t as hesitant as the first one but River still let him lead, resting one hand gently on his chest and the other on his shoulder. He gently ran his tongue over her bottom lip, noting how she opened her mouth eagerly at that and then _oh… now_ he could taste her. Hints of the ice-cream and chocolate sauce they’d shared earlier but also something _else_. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on but was just so _River_. He let out an involuntary groan as he kissed her thoroughly, his hands dropping to grip her waist as he pulled her against him, her hands moving to thread through his hair as she kissed him back.

He was so caught up in kissing her that he didn’t realise he’d been backing her up against the console, his hands starting to wander up her sides and dance across her ribs until she suddenly pulled away, breathing hard, her lips already swollen and red. Gods he thought, as he felt his insides tighten just looking at her, if that’s what she looked like after they had only been kissing, how on earth was he going to cope in a bit when they…

“Maybe we should move somewhere more comfortable?” she murmured breathlessly, looking up at him and cutting through his thoughts, “I mean, I’m normally all for a quick shag against the console but I’m not sure that’s quite what you had in mind is it sweetie?” she added with a smirk as he choked slightly at her words.

“Err yes, yes of course, sorry,” he said quickly, pulling away from her slightly so she could stand up properly, “Not the console room, no…we can go… ummm,” he paused for a moment. Actually, where could they go? He didn’t really have a room as such and the one he did use for sleeping he didn’t really think would be quite appropriate. There was always a guest room but that didn’t feel right either… “Do you have a room River?” he asked hesitantly?

Regarding him for a moment, River reached for his hand. “I’ve got a better idea. Follow me.”

“Where are we going?” he asked a few minutes later as she led him through the TARDIS. How did she know her way around here so well? And where on earth was she taking him? He didn’t think he’d seen this corridor before? “Is that a helter-skelter?” he exclaimed, catching a glimpse through a half-open door.

“Trust you to spot that,” she muttered in amusement as she tugged on his hand as he tried to peer around the door, “I think the theme park might be a little risqué for your first time perhaps.”

He spluttered slightly at that, his head whipping back sharply to look at her as she shot him a grin over her shoulder.

“Don’t worry sweetie,” she added with a wink, as she stopped in front of a closed door, “I’ll go easy on you.”

Desperately fighting the blush that threatened to cover his entire face, he instead focussed on the door in front of him. “I haven’t been here before,” he frowned as River gestured for him to open it.

Letting go of her hand, he turned the door handle and slowly pushed the door open. The room was fairly dimly lit with a large, low sofa towards one end. The ceiling however was high and, as his eyes adjusted to the light, he could see it was lit up with hundreds of artificial stars.

Walking slowly into the room, he stared up at the ceiling, his eyes tracing over the constellations.

“But this is… this sky. It’s Gallifrey,” he whispered reverently.

Nodding, River leant back against the door and watched him wistfully as he spun slowly around, his gaze still on the ceiling.

“River, you haven’t ever been to…” he blurted out before trailing off and shaking his head.

Pushing herself away from the door, River walked over to him slowly. “No, my love,” she said softly, shaking her head as the hopeful expression on his face faded quickly, “But you’ve told me about it,” she added as she stopped next to him, looking up at the artificial stars as well, “And you showed me this, a very long time ago.”

The Doctor looked at her as she gazed up at the ceiling, a soft smile on her face. Reaching up a hand, he tentatively brushed a stray curl back from her face, his fingers lingering as she glanced back down at him.

“You called me my love,” he said, wondering if it was really a question he was asking or a statement of something that he’d known for a while but pretended not to acknowledge.

River let out a small breath, “Yes I did,” she admitted with a half-laugh, tilting her head slightly to one side, “It’s not much of a spoiler though is it really?”

Staring at her for a moment, he opened his mouth to say something but before he could do so, River had leaned in, grasping him by the lapels and kissed him briefly before pulling back very slightly.

“I think that’s enough talking for now Doctor, don’t you?” she murmured against his lips, smiling when he grinned at her before kissing her again. He was certainly getting the hang of this now. Kissing River Song was unlike anything else and _so_ much better than he had imagined. Not that he’d imagined it. Well, not _that_ much anyway. And the real thing was certainly so much better than he’d…

“Still so much thinking Doctor,” River muttered, pulling away again but this time scattering soft kisses across his jaw as her hands moved to undo his jacket and push it from his shoulders.

“Thinking?” he repeated breathlessly, as he let go of her briefly to let his jacket fall to the floor before his hands found her waist again, “What do you mean? How can you…no! Surely you can’t…” he gasped, trailing off wordlessly at the thought she could read his mind.

River simply grinned wickedly back at him, pushing her hips into his and watching as his eyes fluttered shut briefly. “Oh Doctor,” she breathed softly, reaching up with one hand to grasp his tie and pull him even closer, “There are so many things I can do that you don’t know yet.”

Before he could even start to think about what that might mean however, River had pushed him firmly backwards so he landed with a small thud, sprawled on the sofa, staring up at her. She slowly kicked off her boots before stalking towards the sofa and crawling up over him. He watched as she hovered above him, one of her hands coming up to gently trace over his cheek before moving down over his lips. As her fingertips brushed over his lower lip, he shuddered before he suddenly surged forward, sitting up and pulling her onto his lap with her knees either side of him as he sat on the edge of the sofa. He ran his hands up her back, pulling her closer to him as his lips met hers.

This time her mouth opened instantly under his, her tongue stroking insistently against his as she kissed him back passionately. Her hands made short work of his tie before moving on to the buttons of his shirt and pushing it off his shoulders. He growled impatiently as he had to let go of her to pull it off completely, huffing as River let out a small laugh as he wrestled with the cuffs. Finally flinging the shirt off the sofa, he grasped her hips firmly and thrust up against her, making them both groan at the sensation. “I hope you’re not laughing at me, Professor Song,” he muttered as his lips moved down her throat, over her pulse point before kissing his way down to her collarbone.

“Certainly not if you keep doing that,” River gasped, arching her back into him, her fingers moving between them to unbutton her shirt as his lips moved further down. His own hands meanwhile seemed to have moved of their own accord to undo the clasp of her bra which she then discarded unceremoniously along with her shirt. Pulling back slightly, he stilled, his mouth going dry all of a sudden as he stared at the glorious sight of a half-naked River Song in his lap.

Tilting her head slightly, River watched him as he gazed hungrily at her. “Finally managed to shut you up have I sweetie?” she murmured huskily as she looped her arms over his shoulders.

He swallowed heavily as he dragged his gaze back up to meet hers but there was no mockery in her eyes as she stared back at him, her pupils wide and dark with arousal. Leaning forward slightly, he pressed his lips gently to the hollow of her throat before slowly trailing them down over one of her breasts. Tentatively, he flicked his tongue over one of her nipples, grinning to himself when she let out a small hiss and arched herself into his touch. Encouraged, he raked his teeth gently over her nipple before taking it in his mouth, making her moan out loud, her fingers threading roughly through his hair as she pulled him firmly against her.

The last of his nerves fading fast, he explored her thoroughly before he kissed and nipped his way back up to her throat, leaving a trail of rapidly reddening marks as he went. He mouthed over her pulse point as he passed over it and there was _something…_ something just nagging at his thoughts that had been trying to break through from his subconsciousness for a few minutes now… But he couldn’t think about that now. Anyway, who cared about double pulses and mind-reading when River’s naked chest was pressed up against him, her tongue was doing something sinful against his and her hands were rapidly unbuckling his belt and…

“Two beats?” he suddenly gasped, pulling his lips away from hers and staring at her in disbelief.

“What?” she panted, her hands stilling in his lap.

“Your pulse…you’ve got…you’re a…” he stuttered, his brain struggling to form coherent thoughts let alone sentences as he stared at her.

She gazed back at him for a long moment, chest heaving, her cheeks all flushed and hair completely dishevelled. “Oh well, in for a penny, in for a pound I suppose,” she muttered eventually, reaching up to remove her earrings that she then casually tossed on the floor, “What’s one more spoiler by now.”

He inhaled sharply as she took her earrings out and _oh, suddenly_ he could sense her. Pressed up against him like this it was impossible to not feel the pull towards her, the intangible sensation of another Time Lord so close to him. She gently grasped his hands and placed them on her chest, one over each heart, watching carefully as the expression on his face turned from disbelief to wonder.

“But…you…” he murmured in delight, as he pressed his palms to her skin, revelling in the feel of the double beat under his hands, “How can you be… you said you hadn’t been to…”

“I’m not quite like you my love,” she said softly as his eyes shot up to meet hers, “And I can’t tell you the whole story I’m afraid,” she added quickly, shaking her head and putting a finger to his lips as he opened his mouth to ask, “You will find out in time though. I promise.”

Closing his mouth again, the Doctor gazed down at her in awe as if seeing her properly for the first time. Of _course_ she wasn’t just some ordinary human! How could he have not seen it before? Someone who would seemingly know everything about him in the future, including his name, of course they would be even more special. Feeling a lightness in his chest bubble up, he let out a delighted laugh and leant forward again, kissing her soundly as his hands moved down to her waist. Suddenly, he grasped her firmly and toppled them both backwards, flipping them over as he did so, River letting out an undignified yelp as he landed on top of her.

He propped himself up on his hands, kicking off his shoes before following her as they scrambled further up the sofa so their legs were no longer dangling off the edge.

Hovering over her, he gazed down at her in delight as she smiled warmly back at him, her hands sliding up around his neck to play with the hair at the nape of his neck.

“Oh, I knew I was going to like you,” he whispered.

Laughing throatily, River pulled him down towards her as he grinned delightedly. “Oh sweetie, I can assure you that you really do,” she murmured back before crashing her lips against his. Kissing her now without those biodampers in, the Doctor could now _taste_ her. Oh, and if he thought the taste of River Song was intriguing beforehand, that was _nothing_ to the intoxicating taste of her now. He let out a small moan as his tongue brushed hers, sparking sensations of the vortex, stardust and time across his mind.

One of his hands started to wander south as they kissed, brushing a thumb gently around her bellybutton before moving to fumble with the button on her jeans. She helped him push them down over her hips before wriggling out of them and suddenly she was almost naked beneath him, one leg hooked over his as he involuntarily thrust his hips into hers. Groaning loudly, he tore his lips away from hers, breathing raggedly as he trailed one hand slowly up her thigh before hooking his fingers under the lace of her knickers and dragging them down her legs.

Tiptoeing his fingers back up her inner thigh, he moved torturously slowly to where she wanted him, his fingers brushing gently between her legs before dancing softly back down to trace small circles on the other thigh as she let out a soft whine.

“Oh gods, you’re not supposed to tease this young,” River gasped out, bucking her hips desperately into him to try and get some relief. Grinning down at her, he paused for a further moment before finally moving his fingers back up. Brushing his fingers inside her slowly at first, he experimented with pace and rhythm, watching and listening carefully to what she seemed to like. It had been a little while since he’d done this but he didn’t seem to be too rusty if the sounds she was making were anything to go by.

Her hands had moved to clutch his shoulders, keeping him in place and as he curled his fingers just like _that_ she… “Oh sweetie, yes just like that,” she moaned, throwing her head back on the cushions as her fingernails dug into his skin. Leaning down so he could kiss his way down her exposed throat, he pressed his thumb down firmly on her clit so she let out a gasp of pleasure. Tearing his lips away from her neck as he felt her start to tighten around his fingers, he lifted his head up so he could watch as she came; her eyes half-closed, sinful declarations spilling from her lips as she contracted and fluttered around his fingers.

He grinned down at her smugly as she sank back down breathlessly onto the sofa cushions, her hands relaxing to stroke lazily over his shoulders. Before he could come up with a smug comment about leaving her speechless though, she had pulled him down towards her and was kissing him passionately. All smug thoughts then left his head completely a few moments later when River managed to get his fly undone and slid one hand down under the waistband of his boxers to grasp him firmly.

He stilled and pulled away from her lips slightly, his eyes closing momentarily as she began to pump her hand slowly up and down his length.

“River, I…” he managed to choke out but before he could finish that sentence, she had suddenly sat up and flipped them both over. She had rid him of his trousers and boxers almost before he could catch his breath, straddled him and then, before he could even stop to process what was happening, she sank down slowly onto him. He let out a loud groan, his head falling back onto the cushions as the sensation of being surrounded by River engulfed him. Opening his eyes as she started to move slowly over him, he gazed up at her as his hands moved automatically to her hips.

As she began to move faster over him, he gripped her hips harder and then sat up, clutching her closer to him, the change in angle making them both moan as his lips desperately sought hers in a messy kiss.

“River, can you…?” he muttered against her lips, his forehead resting against hers as he tentatively reached out with his mind and then suddenly hers was just _there._ He let out a gasp as the sensation burst across his consciousness. He had forgotten this. The pure unadulterated bliss of joining with another person so completely in both mind and body. It was like breathing properly again after being submerged for too long under water.

She was being careful. She wasn’t letting him in very far but he could still see _her_ and feel her and see what they were together, what they had been and what they would be in the future. This all danced and flashed across his mind as if in technicolour and he moaned desperately into her mouth as he clutched her to him desperately.

As they moved faster together, he could feel her pleasure building slowly just as he felt his own control slipping. Thrusting up harder with his hips, he slid one hand between them and pressed down urgently with his thumb. As the waves of bliss crashed over him, he felt River shudder and shatter around him, aware of his own name being spoken across his mind before she collapsed against his chest.

“So,” River glanced over at him a few minutes later as they lay on their backs, still breathing hard as they looked up at the ceiling, “On a scale of one to ten, with one being shagging a Zygon, how did that rate?”

“Zygon! What…how…” he spluttered at her, his eyes going wide as she burst out laughing, “Oh, don’t tell me I tell you _that_ in my future,” he groaned, covering his eyes with one hand.

“Even better sweetie,” River winked at him, “I was there! Liz the first is still quite cross with you I can assure you!”

“I hate past me,” he groaned, still with his eyes shut, “And future me as well, come to think of it.”

“Well that’s not something that changes I suppose,” River commented as she rolled over towards him, resting her head on his chest as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, “Still, it’s nice to see you smile. This version of you can be awfully melancholy at times.”

Pulling her closer, he reached up to play with the ends of her hair as she idly traced patterns on his chest with her fingertips. “Don’t make me forget this,” he said softly after a few moments.

“Doctor,” she said reproachfully, “You know I can’t, that’s not…”

“No,” he interrupted, as she lifted her head up to look at him, “Just make me forget temporarily. Lock it away somewhere in here,” he tapped the side of his head.

River stared at him for a long moment before nodding. “Alright.”

Sighing in relief, the Doctor tightened his arms around her, brushing his lips gently against her forehead as she relaxed back down on to his chest. Loneliness could wait for just another few hours yet.

\--

A couple of weeks later, River was sat in her office in Luna, frowning at the various research proposals in front of her that needed sorting through. She was just about to push them all aside in favour of something more exhilarating when suddenly the door to her office was flung open and in burst a rather frazzled looking version of her baby-faced husband. He was quite far along in their timeline as well judging by the look of him, although he hadn’t quite made it into that rather delicious waistcoat that she’d seen him sport a couple of times before she mused wistfully.

“Sweetie!” she smiled at him, sitting back in her chair, “I was just looking for a distraction.”

“You!” he spluttered, pointing a finger at her as he stalked towards the desk, “You and… I can’t believe…”

“Doctor, you going to have to be a bit more specific here?” she raised an eyebrow questioningly at him.

“Sandshoes!” he managed to exclaim, still pointing a finger accusingly at her, “Seriously?!”

“Ah,” River said, trying to repress a smile at his outraged expression, “You remembered then?”

“Yes! While I was having afternoon tea with Mother Theresa! That didn’t go well!” he gestured at a large tea-coloured stain that she could now see was visible on his shirt.

“Oops,” she offered with an unrepentant shrug as he glared at her, “It was all your idea,” she reminded him, “And you promised not to shout at me!” she added, wagging her finger back at him.

“Yes, well I was young and idiotic back then and had no idea what I was doing,” he grumbled, still trying to glare at her with his hands on his hips.

“That’s not quite how I remember it,” she smirked back at him with a wink, “Anyway, you’re a fine one to talk,” she retorted, crossing her arms across her chest and looking pointedly at him.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, come on, that was definitely you that time in Leadworth! When I was house-sitting for my parents?”

“What are you talking about?” he looked at her in confusion, shaking his head.

“With Mels,” she clarified insistently as he continued to stare at her in bemusement, “I’m not going mad, it’s still a bit blurry but it was definitely you and…” she suddenly trailed off as a grin slowly spread over the Doctor’s face, “Oh no,” she sighed in realisation, “You haven’t done that yet, have you?”

Looking extremely smug, the Doctor sauntered towards her before leaning his hands on the desk and bending forward over her so he could murmur in her ear. “I believe the word you are looking for, Professor Song, is spoilers!”.

“Oh, I hate you sometimes,” she muttered, narrowing her eyes at him as he pulled back and smirked at her.

Leaning forward again so his lips were almost brushing hers, he grinned unrepentantly. “No, you really don’t,” he whispered before cutting off any further reply by kissing her soundly.

\---

**Author's Note:**

> hmmm, I don't usually write Ten so that was interesting! hope people enjoy all the same...


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